Darren Purse believes his Sligo Rovers side have it in them to produce the type of performance required to progress to the last four of the Club Orange Men’s FAI Cup, ahead of the Bit O’Red’s quarter-final tie with Waterford at the RSC on Friday.
Rovers will look to progress to a first cup semi-final since 2020 as we take on what is the country’s form side. This last eight bout will be the fifth meeting between the sides this season, with both clubs winning one game each while the other two encounters ended in scoreless draws.
Rovers reached the same stage last season, only to be knocked out by Kerry who we then progressed past this year, along with Janesboro in the round previous. While Waterford can count Cobh Ramblers and Athlone Town as the sides they’ve got past to date.
This will be Rovers and the Blues’ first cup meeting since 2013, when goals from Danny Ventre and Anthony Elding saw us overcome Waterford at the RSC on our way to our fifth FAI Cup triumph that year.
Previous to that, Rovers beat Waterford in the 2009 semi-final at the Showgrounds, while Waterford were victors at the same venue in the third round two years previous.
Back to present day and Rovers go to Munster to face Graham Coughlan’s men who are in the midst of an astonishing run of form. Bottom of the league a few months ago, they have only been beaten once in their last ten league games, winning six of those, including a four goal win over Rovers back in June.
“They’re up there with Shamrock Rovers in terms of current form and that tells a story”, Purse tells sligorovers.com.
“As draws go, it’s a tough one. But we know that on any given day, anyone can beat anyone on any given day in this division. If we produce a similar performance to what we did against Waterford a few weeks ago, then we give ourselves a chance.
“They’re physical, they get the ball in the box and they’ve quality in the final third. Hence why they’re on the run they’re on. We’re going to have be on our mettle and have a little bit more quality in the final third and hopefully we can get through to a semi-final.”
Neither side managed to breach the other when the sides met two weeks ago and although Purse is drawing the positives from that game, he says it would be naive on his part to draw any conclusions ahead of Friday’s tie in terms of the opposition’s approach.
He is also keen to focus on Friday alone ahead of crucial league meetings with both Drogheda and Galway to come.
“They (Waterford) play against us and then go to St Pat’s and play a different shape with one or two changes so it’ll be a bit of a guessing game to see how they line out but we’ll prepare the best we can”, he continues.
“We’ll have contingency plans in place incase they try and surprise us.
“But the performance against them is quite fresh in our minds and if we put in the performance we did against them a few weeks ago, it gives us the chance to progress.
“We take and assess each game as it comes. Our priority today is Waterford in the cup and we’ll approach this game in the best manner we can and out out the best possible side we can to go and win the game.
“It’s a big occasion, the quarter-final of a cup and hopefully the gods will be with us and we walk away with a win.”
Purse also acknowledged and thanked the input of striker Jamie McGonigle and defender David Jonathan, both of whom left the club this week.
The club ended the loan agreement between ourselves and Coleraine, which saw McGonigle return to Irish league football.
“Jamie was away from his family and I think him moving back was a move that suited both parties”, Purse said.
“It wasn’t an easy decision for either he or the club to make, especially because it’s left us short up front. I’d have liked to have come to an agreement with him a bit earlier to have time to get someone else in. But it is what it is and we move on. We wish both the lads the best of luck in their next steps.”
David Goulden